Of the 5,215 residents who are 18 years old and older on the near west side, only 239, or about 4.6 percent, have registered to vote according to statistics provided by the Near West Side Initiative. In Onondaga County, 282,266 of 349,433 people over 18, or about 81 percent, have registered.

The voter registration drive began last month after only three percent of the near west side’s registered voters participated in the mayoral primary elections, said Michael Short, 22, who helped organize the event.

“A lot of people in the neighborhood don’t have the information they need to vote,” said Short, an SU senior working for the Near West Side Initiative. “All we’re trying to do is get people engaged in the system.”

Low voter registration levels can be attributed to a number of factors, said Danny Hayes, an assistant political science professor at SU. Politicians generally do not campaign in areas of low voter registration because they do not believe people in those areas will vote, Hayes said.

“People often vote because the people around them do,” Hayes said. “When people are embedded in social networks with low levels of voter registration, they are less likely to vote themselves.”

Education and socioeconomic status are also tied to low levels of voter registration, Hayes said.

Sitting in CDA Music Bookstore, 35-year-old Merari Nunez filled out the form to register to vote. Nunez said she was confused about whether she had previously registered. She hasn’t tried to vote since the 2004 presidential election.

“In 2004, I tried to vote, but they said they couldn’t find me,” Nunez said. “I’m glad that I have that cleared up.”

The Gifford Foundation helped organized the registration drive and recruited 10 Morrisville State College students to help.

Even though he did not register many voters, Rodriguez said he was glad he made the effort.

“It’s always worth the try,” Rodriguez said. “Any time you do this kind of community service, you get that huge sense of satisfaction.”